After furious tobacconists complained that druggists were selling cigars, the city ordered pharmacies to stick to remedies. East St. Louis, St. Louis County and some municipalities, including Clayton and Maplewood, followed suit.

But nothing could keep the streets quiet after 2 a.m. Monday, Nov. 11, when news flashed of the armistice in Europe. Happy people, many banging pots, rushed into the streets and jammed major corners downtown. The Post-Dispatch wrote that mobs formed "with all thought of the epidemic thrown to the winds."

In a nod to exuberance, Starkloff said, "The people are out of doors, getting lungs full of fresh air, which is better for them than if they were at work or in their homes." He allowed stores to sell flags on the sidewalks.

Two days later, he and Kiel suspended the closings, allowing people to return to work, school, church and barstools. They said the rate of increase in the number of infections had gone down.

The numbers briefly spiked again, but the misnamed virus (soldiers from Fort Riley, Kan., had spread the flu to Europe) soon had spent itself. Starkloff's strategy of "social distancing" saved lives: St. Louis' death toll of 1,703 equaled 2.8 for each 1,000 residents, lowest among major American cities.